Global Currents in Indian History: Imperialism, Nationalism, and the World Wars India: 1914-1945 Farina Mir Department of History University of Michigan

British Empire in India 1757 – Battle of Plassey 1765 – Battle of Buxar

Grant of ‘Diwani,’ Mughal Emperor Shah Alam to Robert Clive Grant of Diwani Shah Alam to Clive c.1818

East India Company Troops

Sepoys in the East India Company Army

East India Company Army 1793 1798 1805 1815 European 18,768 22,166 24,891 31,611 Native 69,661 91,147 167,674 195,572 Total 88,429 113,313 192,565 227,183

British Empire in India 1757 – Battle of Plassey 1765 – Battle of Buxar 1858 – Transition from Company to Crown Rule

British Indian Army Afghanistan 1870s and 1880s Burma 1880s Egypt 1882 Uprisings in Sudan 1885-6 and 1896 Boxer Rebellion, China 1900 Boer War, South Africa 1899-1902 Tibet 1902-3 …

India and World War I Army: 1918 - 1.2 million man army Fight in Europe, East Africa, Middle East Mesopotamia: 60,000 killed Noncombatants Defense expenditure increase 300%

Mesopotamia 1914-1918

Indian Memorial (Port Arthur)

More than 65,000 Indian Soldiers died in and around Ypres, Belgium

Sikh Soldier, WWI

Indian Soldiers Convalescing in Brighton

Convalescing in the Brighton Pavilion

India and World War I Fiscal Implications: Raise income tax Raise customs duties Inflationary pressures Price of food grains doubled Price of imports almost tripled Generally, period of acute distress

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi 1869-1948

Gandhi ‘a completely unofficial man’ Eroded the moral authority and then the political power of the British empire in India.

Gandhi’s Political Philosophy Satyagraha Ahimsa

Satyagraha Satya (truth) agraha (struggle) “truth-force” Basic principles Careful study/fact gathering Public statement of objectives Opportunity for mutually-agreed settlement Launch agitation Objective: convince opponent of rightness of satyagrahi’s cause Ahimsa – nonviolence Nonviolent, non-cooperation

March 30, 1930 Ram Rajya God’s Rule? or Hindu Rule?

Gandhi as the “father” of modern India Promote Rights of Peasants Revitalize India’s Villages Eradicate Untouchability Pursue Gender Equality Encourage hand-spinning

Gandhi: Revolutionary or Traditionalist? ‘Satyagraha’ Reorientation of nationalist movement Rejection of modern industrial society Remove untouchability Traditionalist Empowered those ensconced in the social hierarchy No support for industrial working class Wealthier peasants benefit most Trusteeship

Gandhi and Kasturbai in 1915

Barrister in Johannesburg, 1906

London Vegetarian Society, 1890

Gandhi in South Africa

Gandhi in South Africa, 1893-1914 Encountered racism in its extreme form Sense of national identity strengthened Devised satyagraha First experiments with communal living Adopted celibacy Began to lose faith in the British Empire

Gandhi and Gokhale, South Africa, 1912

Libya, Dec. 1941

Burma, 1943

Scout Crew, Italy

Bologna, Italy

Indian Soldiers in Italy

British Indian Army: 2.5 million men India and WWII British Indian Army: 2.5 million men Use of Indian revenues to pay for army Debt: £1.3 Billion High Inflation in India Bengal Famine

Zainul Abedin (1914-1976)